Futile Devices Scans

Tao Mo’s body trembled slightly, though it was unclear whether from cold or shock.

Someone questioned, “Wasn’t that official supposed to arrive after the New Year? Where did you get it from?”

The waiter replied, “The new magistrate moved into the county yamen yesterday. His steward even went to the broker woman today to buy servants for the residence.”

The man suddenly understood. “So that’s how the portrait was obtained.”

With an expressionless face, Old Tao led Tao Mo to an empty table and sat down.

It was the tea house’s busiest hour, so the two of them only managed to get a spot near the staircase, though it happened to be rather close to the loudly shouting waiter.

Tao Mo could not resist craning his neck to look, but Old Tao pulled him back, leaving him no choice but to give up awkwardly.

Surprisingly, there truly were customers willing to spend three copper coins on this business.

One voice shouted, “Come on, let this old master take a look. Is he fat or thin? Tall or short?”

Faintly, the sound of a scroll being opened could be heard.

“Ha!” that voice burst into laughter. “A sickly chicken!”

The waiter said, “I heard the county magistrate fell ill the moment he entered the county town. Maybe he won’t even last long enough to hold court.”

The voice replied, “That’s great news. My ears can finally have some peace and quiet! Every new official who comes here insists on putting on an act and stirring things up. They may not find it tiring, but I’m already sick of the same old routine.”

The waiter laughed. “Young Master Lu jests. When has your magic trickery ever become repetitive?”

The flattery clearly pleased the man greatly. He chuckled twice and squeezed his way out of the crowd.

Tao Mo turned his head to look. He saw that the man had sparse brows and bright eyes; unexpectedly, he was a refined-looking scholar.

The scholar also seemed to notice someone staring at him and looked over naturally.

Tao Mo hurriedly turned his head back.

Old Tao’s slightly bent back suddenly straightened.

A folding fan slapped against the tabletop, and the scholar’s laughter sounded right beside them. “Well now, who would have thought that for three copper coins, one could not only see the portrait but also the real person himself?” As he spoke, he suddenly bowed with clasped hands. “This student, Lu Zhenxue, greets the county magistrate.”

His voice was loud and attention-grabbing, instantly stirring up a wave of shocked murmurs.

Left with no choice, Tao Mo stood and said, “You may rise.”

The surrounding voices gradually quieted, and all eyes focused on the two of them.

Tao Mo could not help feeling awkward, unsure of what the man intended to do.

Lu Zhenxue smiled and said, “I wonder whether Your Excellency would mind sharing a table with me?”

Tao Mo looked toward Old Tao.

Old Tao had already risen to his feet. As a servant, it was naturally inappropriate for him to share a table with his master.

Tao Mo said, “Then sit.”

Hearing the reluctance in Tao Mo’s tone, Lu Zhenxue inwardly gave a cold snort. He thought to himself: You may disdain sharing a table with me now, but someday, even if you wished to invite me, you would not be able to!

Tao Mo asked, “What would you like to eat?”

Lu Zhenxue froze momentarily before casually replying, “A pot of Longjing tea.”

Tao Mo nodded and said to the waiter standing nearby, “Two vegetable dishes, two bowls of rice, and a pot of Longjing tea.”

After the waiter left, Lu Zhenxue said, “Your Excellency still hasn’t eaten?”

Tao Mo shook his head.

“Then why come to Mingcui Teahouse instead of Xianwei Tower? Xianwei Tower is the proper place for meals. Though the tea at Mingcui is good, the food is nothing special,” Lu Zhenxue said.

Tao Mo replied, “It’s my first time here. I’m unfamiliar with the place.” Seeing Old Tao still standing, he added, “Sit down together.”

Only then did Old Tao say, “Thank you, Young Master.” Yet he still dared not sit fully, merely letting a tiny portion of his backside touch the stool.

Lu Zhenxue said, “The bitter winter wind is freezing cold. Why did Your Excellency insist on taking office before the New Year? Could it be… that you were thinking about the charcoal silver?”

Tao Mo asked, “What is charcoal silver?”

Lu Zhenxue blinked. “Your Excellency truly doesn’t know?”

Tao Mo shook his head.

“It seems Your Excellency regards wealth as dirt. In the future, you will surely become a first-rate incorruptible official.” His tone carried obvious mockery.

Tao Mo said, “I don’t want to become an incorruptible official.”

Lu Zhenxue’s expression stiffened.

Not a single magistrate who came to Tanyang County wanted to become an incorruptible official. Everyone knew Tanyang County was a hard bone to chew. Anyone with the slightest influence or connections was unwilling to come. And the imperial court likewise would not send truly capable or efficient officials there.

Why?

Because there was no need.

Tanyang County had many litigation masters, some good and some bad, but none wicked enough to oppress the common people. It was not that they were unwilling—it was that they could not and dared not. Once scholars opened their mouths, their words could spread throughout the world. If truly angered, they even dared travel to the capital to accuse officials directly before the emperor.

Therefore, no major disasters ever occurred in Tanyang County, and its annual political evaluations were always excellent.

But someone like Tao Mo, who openly declared the moment he arrived that he did not wish to become an incorruptible official—that was something Lu Zhenxue had encountered for the very first time.

Could it be… that he felt an instant kinship at first sight and was opening his heart completely?

Lu Zhenxue was dumbfounded, unable to figure out what charm of his had made the other party admire him so deeply.

Tao Mo continued, “I want to become a good official.”

Lu Zhenxue recovered from his shock and smiled. “Isn’t a good official the same as an incorruptible official?”

Tao Mo said, “A good official is an incorruptible official, but an incorruptible official is not necessarily a good official.”

Lu Zhenxue nodded in agreement, yet felt no urge to continue the conversation. Every year there were people who liked making grand declarations, but how many actually followed through? To be honest, if Tao Mo had boldly declared, “I don’t want to be incorruptible—I want to be corrupt,” Lu Zhenxue might even have respected him more. These days, people who truly dared to act boldly and openly were far too rare.

Just then, the dishes arrived, and the topic naturally ended there.

Lu Zhenxue sipped his tea, already planning to make an excuse and leave. He had more or less figured out the new magistrate’s character by now—a hypocrite full of empty talk, nothing interesting.

Footsteps sounded from the staircase.

Some hurried, some slow.

But Lu Zhenxue’s back instantly straightened. Staring at the staircase only three feet before him, he began feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Yet standing up now would seem too deliberate, so he forcibly endured it and remained seated.

Noticing the strange look on his face, Old Tao could not help turning to look upstairs.

Five or six men dressed as scholars were leisurely descending the stairs.

Because the main hall had quieted once more, even Tao Mo, who had been eating, could not help glancing over as well.

The moment he looked, his gaze fixed onto the last person among them and could no longer move away.

Snow-white fox fur robes, jet-black hair. Even standing behind the others, he could not conceal the aura of nobility and elegance surrounding him. As though sensing Tao Mo’s stare, his eyes swept lightly over him—lazy and sparse as cold stars—before drifting away again with complete indifference, as though Tao Mo was beneath notice.

“Brother Lu!” The scholar walking in front suddenly halted and looked at Lu Zhenxue in surprise. “Since Brother Lu is here, why didn’t you come upstairs to join us?”

Lu Zhenxue replied coolly, “I was just about to go up, yet you all happened to come down.”

The man laughed. “What unfortunate timing.” His eyes shifted toward Tao Mo. “And this is…?”

Lu Zhenxue said, “This is someone you absolutely cannot fail to meet—the newly arrived county magistrate, Magistrate Tao.”

The man merely gave an “Oh,” then immediately lost interest.

Ignored so thoroughly, Tao Mo’s cheeks flushed faintly. It was not as though he had never been neglected before, and he had long since grown accustomed to it. Yet this time, it happened specifically in front of that person… although perhaps that person did not care in the slightest.

Watching the figure in fox fur standing arrogantly at the top of the staircase, as though everything happening beneath his feet had nothing to do with him, Tao Mo felt an indescribable ache in his chest.

After chatting and laughing with Lu Zhenxue for a while, the group finally left.

Old Tao noticed that once they departed, Lu Zhenxue’s face visibly darkened.

“Your Excellency, if there is nothing else, this student shall take his leave first.” Encountering that group had ruined Lu Zhenxue’s mood so thoroughly that he no longer even wished to pretend politeness and stood directly.

“Wait,” Tao Mo hurriedly said.

Lu Zhenxue paused and turned back.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

Lu Zhenxue feigned patience and waited.

Tao Mo lowered his voice. “Do you know the name of that young man wearing fox fur?”

Lu Zhenxue’s expression shifted slightly. Looking at Tao Mo’s shy demeanor, realization dawned upon him almost instantly. A flash of disgust passed through his eyes before a slow smile formed at the corners of his mouth. “Are you asking about Gu She?”

“Gu She…” Tao Mo softly repeated the name, and the image of that man immediately surfaced in his mind.

Lu Zhenxue said, “He is Master One-Hammer’s final disciple. Your Excellency wishes to befriend him?”

Tao Mo’s eyes instantly brightened, making his whole face come alive. “Do you have a way?”

Lu Zhenxue felt even more displeased inside. “I belong to Master Lin’s school. We are not especially close with their side, so I’m afraid I cannot help much.”

The light in Tao Mo’s eyes dimmed at once.

That made Lu Zhenxue even more irritated. Flicking his sleeves, he left immediately.

Only then did the teahouse owner arrive dragging the waiter behind him, carrying Tao Mo’s portrait in his hands as he apologized repeatedly, explaining that the portrait had merely been placed there for consignment sale and that the profits were split thirty-seventy and so forth.

Tao Mo had never cared very much about the matter in the first place, and since the portrait was returned to him, he agreed not to pursue it further.

Old Tao suddenly asked, “What is the background of this Young Master Lu?”

The owner replied, “The Lu family is one of the local great aristocratic families. Their ancestors produced a Minister of Revenue and a Grand Tutor. I’ve heard there are currently two masters of the family serving as officials in the capital as well—quite remarkable indeed. Young Master Lu is a famous talented scholar, and occasionally he also works as a litigation master. His teacher is the immensely famous Lin Zhengyong.”

Listening to this explanation, Old Tao frowned repeatedly.

Tao Mo asked, “Then… what about Young Master Gu She?”

The owner said, “Young Master Gu is Master One-Hammer’s prized disciple. However, he never enters official circles. I’ve heard Master One-Hammer dotes on him greatly, and even his senior fellow disciples take especially good care of him.”

Since the information was so limited, Tao Mo felt somewhat disappointed.

Seeing the probing curiosity in the owner’s eyes, Old Tao hurriedly paid the bill and dragged Tao Mo back toward the county yamen, lest further trouble arise.

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